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California Board of Accountancy approves 2026 outreach plan, expands campus and multilingual outreach
Summary
The Board unanimously approved a 2026 outreach plan to expand campus visits, community events and multilingual materials to prepare stakeholders for AB 1175 licensure changes and boost diversity in the CPA pipeline.
The California Board of Accountancy on Jan. 22 approved a 2026 outreach plan aimed at preparing students, licensees and community partners for upcoming licensure changes and expanding the board’s reach across the state. The plan, presented by Information and Planning Officer David Hemphill, links outreach activities to the CBA’s 2025–29 strategic plan and targets consumers, licensees, aspiring CPAs, academia and legislators.
Why it matters: The outreach plan is designed to accompany implementation of Assembly Bill 1175 and the licensure changes that take effect Jan. 1, 2027, and to broaden the pool of prospective CPAs. The board emphasized partnerships with universities, community colleges and professional organizations and a renewed focus on non-English materials.
Hemphill told the board the outreach calendar already includes campus stops in February and March and larger virtual and in-person events in spring and near the March board meeting. He said the CBA will translate key releases and guides into priority languages and noted, “This year, Spanish is primarily the go-to language,” adding that the board has translated its consumer assistance handbook into Spanish, Korean, simplified Chinese and Vietnamese and will explore Filipino-language outlets for specific releases.
The plan also includes multimedia work: an updated CPA exam applicant tutorial video (to reflect the new credit-card payment option) and continued investment in social media analytics to measure impact. Hemphill highlighted an existing campus-tour schedule beginning Feb. 5 at California State University, Chico, and said staff will coordinate with licensing teams to develop a certificate recognition program with community colleges.
Board members praised the plan’s comprehensiveness and recommended clearer outcome measures. Member Carrie Hines urged metrics beyond raw event counts to capture qualitative outcomes; Hemphill said staff will incorporate feedback and suggested surveys to measure message reach. The motion to adopt the 2026 outreach plan passed on a roll-call vote.
Next steps: Staff will implement the calendar, pursue multilingual outreach for priority releases and return with metrics and updates at subsequent meetings.
